Passengers stranded for three hours after Air India pilot refuses to fly

350 passengers on an Air India flight from London to Delhi were stranded in Jaipur for about three hours after the pilot refused to fly citing working hours on Sunday, according to a report in India Today.

Flight AI-112 was diverted to Jaipur early Sunday because of bad weather in Delhi. The plane circled in the sky for about 10 minutes before being diverted. The pilot of the Air India flight refused to fly the plane, citing flight duty time limitations and duty hours after it made an emergency landing in Jaipur.

The flight had received permission to resume its journey to Delhi from the Delhi Air Traffic Control (ATC) after about two hours. But the pilot refused to continue the flight and left the aircraft.

The stranded passengers were asked to look for alternative arrangements. Some of the passengers were transported to Delhi by road after about three hours, whereas others were able to reach Delhi on the same flight after a replacement crew was arranged.

In its official statement, Air India stated that the AI-112 flight could not take off from Jaipur due to flight duty time limitations.

The airline said, "While the aircraft was waiting for Delhi weather to improve and take off, the cockpit crew came under FDTL, that is Flight Duty Time Limitations. Pilots cannot operate a flight once they come under the FDTL, as laid down by regulatory authorities. Air India accords top priority to the safety of its passengers and crew and strictly adhering to the regulations of the operation, immediately arranged a fresh set of crew to operate the flight."  

A passenger named Adit was among those who were stranded at the Jaipur airport. Sharing videos of distressed passengers speaking with the Air India staff, he wrote on Twitter, “Still unorganised as ever. Passengers are hungry, tired, fatigued, and frustrated with the inept service of what is meant to be a national airline.”